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Jimmy Carter to resume book tour after hospitalization

Former President Jimmy Carter is expected to resume his book tour Wednesday after spending the night in a hospital with an upset stomach.

Carter was taken Tuesday morning to MetroHealth Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was under observation and resting comfortably, the Carter Center said in a statement. His doctor recommended he spend the night at the hospital to rest, officials said.

“He is fully alert and participating in all decision-making related to his care,” the hospital said about Carter, who received a phone call from President Obama. “The decision to admit him overnight is purely precautionary.”

Emergency personnel were called to an incoming Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta for a passenger who felt sick, reported CNN affiliate WEWS. Upon arrival, they learned that the passenger was the former president.

Airport emergency crews performed an initial checkup and then transported Carter to the hospital.

Carter, who will turn 86 on Friday, was in Cleveland to sign copies of his new book, “White House Diary.”

He and former first lady Rosalynn Carter are known as fitness buffs who maintain active lifestyles.

Carter recently returned from a trip to North Korea, where he secured the freedom of U.S. citizen Aijalon Mahli Gomes.

During a September 20 appearance on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” Carter said he planned to stay busy in the future.

“I’ll stay involved in the Carter Center as long as I’m physically and mentally able,” he said. “I’m still a professor at Emory University. This is my 29th year as a professor. And I’ll still write a book every now and then.”